Maine

Things to do in Maine

You could hike, bike and paddle for miles and miles in Portland, but those aren’t the only things to do in Maine that let you appreciate its great outdoors. But even if you are not an intrepid outdoorsy type you’ll still find plenty of activities to do in Maine.
If any place typifies Maine’s great rugged outdoors, it’s Acadia, one of the top things to do in Maine. It has 120 miles of pine-fringed trails on which moose-spotting is practically guaranteed; miles of sea cliffs formed from granite; and 1,530-foot Cadillac Mountain, the highest peak on the Eastern Seaboard—and the place to see the sunrise of a lifetime. (Good news: you can drive to the top, too.)
The farm-to-table movement is strong in Maine, thanks to the state’s ever-growing number of farmers’ markets that fill fields, town greens, and empty parking lots from York to Presque Isle. They sell everything from freshly tapped maple syrup to fiddleheads, quarts of pea-size blueberries, home-smoked mussels, tangy goat’s cheese, and bunches of wild cosmos and lupines. Among the places to sample local products are Saco, Blue Hill, and Crystal Springs Farm in Brunswick.
Maine’s rugged coast inspired the state’s most famous artists, Winslow Homer and Andrew Wyeth. You can see their masterworks in person at the Portland Art Museum, the I. M. Pei–designed building in the heart of downtown Portland. In addition to work by Maine affiliated artists (also including Edward Hopper), the museums houses early-American furniture and international heavy-hitters such as Picasso, Matisse, and Monet.

This angular I. M. Pei–designed building in the heart of downtown Portland is not only the city’s shining cultural institution; it also houses the state’s oldest museum (and with 17,000 objects in its collection, the largest).

A mainstay of this small community since 1956, it's hard to miss this family-owned lobster shack and seafood distributor, with its large rooftop "Lobsters" sign and row of wood-fired cookers out front.

This family-owned bakery and diner is beloved for its doughnuts, which come in unusual flavors like butter crunch, maple crème, and powdered chocolate, in addition to more traditional choices. Baked goods are displayed inside large, wood-paneled cases behind the takeout counter.

Encompassing over 5,000 acres of salt marshes filled with migratory birds, maritime forests, and coastal dunes, the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge was named in honor of the birder and naturalist who first brought many environmental issues to the forefront in the 1960s.

This four-sailed schooner offers visitors the chance to take a ride on the wild side — of the Atlantic, that is. Cushioned cabin seating, a teak cockpit, and mahogany accents make for a comfortable sailing experience.